Track extensions for beam racks



March 3, 1959 E. M. AYARS, JR 2,875,902

4 TRACK EXTENSIONS FOR BEAM RACKS Filed March 21, 1956 IO II, l5 l5 L Fi TRACK EXTENSIONS FOR BEAM RACKS Edward M. Ayars, Jr., Swarthmore, Pa., assignor to' American Viscose Corporation, Philadelphia, Pa., a corporation of Delaware Application March 21, 1956, Serial No. 572,908,

8 Claims. (Cl. 211-13) The present invention relates to detachable track extensions for use with storing or shipping racks for facilitating the loading and unloading of heavy cylindrical rolls such as spools or beams and like objects into and from the racks.

A primary object of my invention is to provide novel' and improved auxiliary track extensions which may be temporarily affixed to shipping or storage racks to facilitate the loading and unloading of the racks with heavy cylindrical rolls such as large spools or beams which may or may not be filled with convolutions of parallel yarn windings or warp.

\ Other objects and advantages of myinventionwill become more apparent from a study of the following description and drawings wherein:

Figure l is a perspective of a shipping or storage rack filled with the heavy spools and showing the beam track extensions in position on the. rack;

Figure 2 is a perspective on an enlarged scale of one of the track extensions for the rack; and

. Figure 3 is an enlarged detail in perspective showing the manner in which the track extensions are temporarily secured to the rack.

As seen in Figure l of the drawings, storage or shipping rack A consists generally of a framework having corner posts 1, 1, longitudinal side supports 3, 3, transverse end supports 5, 5, and vertical end members 7, 7 afiixed to the transverse end supports 5, 5. Substantially L-shaped spool tracks 9, 9 extend between and are affixed to the longitudinal side supports 3, 3 and corner posts 1, 1"." These tracks 9, 9 receive and support the end flanges 10, 10 ofspools or beams11, 11. The spools or beams 11, 11 may or may not be filled with convolutions of parallel yarn windings or warp.

As seen in the drawings, the tracks 9, 9 are secured to the corner posts 1, 1 at spaced apart vertical points therealong whereby the spools are stored in layers one above the other. Each layer generally holds three spools or beams. To hold the spools or beams 11, 11 firmly in place after they have been rolled into position on the tracks 9, 9, locking cross bars '13, 13 similar to those shown in U. S. Patent No. 2,762,514 are provided which fit over the spool flanges 10, 10. The lock bars 13, 13 are affixed to the corner posts 1, 1 and the vertical end members 7, 7.

Heretofore, at least two methods have been devised for loading and unloading the spools or beams into and from the rack A. One of these methods consists of merely hoisting the large spool 11 with a suitable hoist mechanism to the desired track level of the rack A, after which the operator manually swings and guides the heavy spool into position on the tracks 9, 9. To raise the spool 11 to the desired level, hoist hooks 15, 15 (Figure 1), secured to ropes or cables 17, 17 which are in turn afiixed to a suitable hoisting mechanism (not shown), are inserted within each end of the bore of the beam 11. This practice has proved to be dangerous in that the hoist hooks 15, 15 are often jogged out of the spool or a beam or spool 2,875,902 Patented Mar. 3, 1959- ICC 2 beam bore while the spool is being manually swung and positioned by the operator onto the tracks 9, 9. When such a situation occurs, the heavy spool, of course, will fall to -the fioor, thus causing possible injury to the operator.

Another method employed in loading and unloading the spools into and from the rack A consists in using floor benches of varying height which heights correspond to the several levels of the tracks 9, 9. A bench is positioned immediately adjacent the loading or unloading side of rack A after which the spool 11 is hoisted and lowered onto the bench. The operator then rolls the spool from the bench onto the, tracks 9, 9. This method has also proved unsatisfactory in that it requires the presence of several heavy benches of varying heights which the operator must move into and out of position during the spool loading and unloading operations. Much time, energy and physical exertion is required on the operators part in loading and unloading the spools in this manner.

With my invention, the above difiiculties and disadvantages are eliminated and the beam loading and unloading operation may be accomplished in less time, with less energy and physical exertion, and without the hazard of injury to the operator as a result of the heavy spools falling upon his person.

A preferred embodiment of my invention is clearly shown in Figures 2 and 3 of the drawing. The track 27 of each L-shaped extension lies at substantially a right angle to the segment 29 whereby when the members 25,

25 are temporarily afiixed to the rack A, the segments 27, 27 ofeach extension 25 lie in a vertical position. in line with the corner posts 1, 1 (Figure 3) of the rack A while the segments 29, 29 lie in a horizontal position in line with the longitudinal side members 3, 3. Each. vertical segment 27 of the L-shaped extensions 25, 25

has a rack gripping arm 31 while each segment or leg 29 has a rack gripping arm 33. These arms comprise extensions of the segments 27 and 29. As seen in Figure 2, the rack gripping arms 31, 31 of the vertical segments or legs 27, 27 have two substantially right angle bends therein to form a hook grip 35 which hooks or fits aroundthe back surface of a corner post 1 whereby a retaining connection is formed between the corner post 1 and the gripping arm 35. The gripping arms 33, 33 of segments 29, 29 of the L-shaped members 25, 25 have a single 90 bend at their extremities to provide a gripping end 37 which hooks or fits over a longitudinal side support 3..

A raised stop member 39 is formed at the non-gripping or free end of the horizontal extending segment 29 of the L-shaped extension 25-for purposeswhieh will be explained hereinafter.

To prevent the rack afiixed extensions 25, 25 from sagging after a spool 11 has been positioned thereupon, a vertical brace 40 is welded to the outer surface of the segments 27, 27 of each L-shaped member 25. The vertical brace 40 is so positioned on the segment 27 that it will lie flush against the surface of a corner post 1 when the extensions are attached to the rack A as shown more clearly in Figure 3.

With the above-described gripping arrangement, the L- shaped track extensions are held firmly in position on the rack A after once having been set in place thereupon.

In operation, an extension track 25 is placed in position immediately adjacent each corner post at any one of the three track levels of the rack A as seen in Figure 1. The beam or spool 11 is hoisted by suitable hoist mechanism to a position slightly above the track extensions 25, 25 and then lowered onto the extensions 25,

25 so that the flanges 10, 10 of the beam 11 come to rest upon the track extensions 25, 25. The hoist hooks 15, 15 secured to cables 17, 17 are then removed from bore of the spool 11. The operator then merely pushes or rolls the spool 11 into position on the rack tracks 9, 9. To prevent the spool 11 from rolling off the track extensions 25, 25 in the direction of the operator, the raised stop members 39, 39 formed at the non-gripping end of each segment 29 the extensions 25, 25, as described above, are provided. 7

When the operator desires to remove or unload a spool 11 from the rack A, he merely aflixes the track extensions25,-25 at the desired track level and rolls the beam or spool 11 from within the rack A onto the extensions 25, 25. The hoist hooks 15, 15 are then inserted within the spool bore after which a suitable hoist mechanism raises the spool from the track extensions 25, 25, moves the spool outwardly away from the extensions, and finally lowers the spool 11 to the floor or suitable platform.

With the use of the above-described track extensions, I have provided'a simple, safe, and easy-to-operate means which may. be used to unload or load a beam rack. With my track extensions, the operator may avoid the disadvantages, labor, and apprehension of personal injury as discussed in the early part of my application.

It is to be understood that changes and variations may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention as defined in the appended claims.

, I claim:

1. In combination with a beam storage or shipping rack which comprises four corner posts, longitudinal side members extending between and secured to the corner posts, transverse end members extending between and secured to the corner posts, and beam receiving tracks extending parallel to the transverse end members and secured to the corner posts and longitudinal members, a pair of beam track extensions, and bent' arm grips forming an integral part of the extensions which grip the longitudinal side members and corner posts of the rack to support the extensions in fixed position on the rack, said beam track extensions extending beyond the rack structure and lying in end-to-end relationship with the beam receiving tracks of the rack.

2. The combination of claim 1 wherein each track extension comprises an elongated substantially L-shaped member.

3. The combination of claim 2 comprising bent anm rack grips extending from one end of each L-shaped track extension.

4. In combination with a beam storage or shipping rack which comprises four corner posts, longitudinal side members extending between and secured to the corner posts, transverse end members extending between and secured to. the corner posts, and beam receiving tracks extending parallel to the transverse end members and secured to. the cornergposts and longitudinal members, .a pair of elongated substantially L-shaped track extensions,

each L-shaped extension being positioned on the rack so that one of the segments of the L-shaped track extensions lies in a vertical position in line with the corner posts while the other segment of the L-shaped extension lies in a horizontal position in line with the longitudinal side members, and a bent arm rack grip extending from one end of each segment of the L-shaped extensions whereby one arm of each extension grips a corner post while the other arm grips a longitudinal side member.

5. In combination with a beam storage or shipping rack which comprises four corner posts, longitudinal side members extending between and secured to the corner posts, transverse end members extending between and secured to the corner posts, and beam receiving tracks extending parallel to the transverse end members and secured to the corner posts and longitudinal members, a pair of elongated substantially L-shaped track extensions detachably secured to the longitudinal side members and corner posts of the rack, each L-shaped extension being positioned on the rack so that one of the segments of the L-shaped track extensions lies in a vertical position in.

line with the corner posts While the other segment of the L-shaped extension lies in a horizontal position in line with the longitudinal side members, and a bar brace aflixed to the outer surface of each segment of the L-shaped member lying in vertical position in line with the corner posts, said bar brace lying flush with the corner post.

6. The combination according to claim 4 comprising a raised stop member at the non-gripping end of the extensions on the horizontally disposed segments of the L-shaped member.

7. A track extension according to claim 5 comprising a raised stop member at the non-gripping end of the track extension, said stop member being positioned on the segment of the L-shaped extension which supports a beam flange.

8. A track extension for use with article storage or shipping racks for facilitating the article unloading and loading operations comprising an elongated substantially L-shaped member, an arm rack, grip extending from one end of each segment or legof the L-shaped member, and a brace bar aflixed to the outer face of the segment which lies in a vertical position when said member is aflixed to the rack, said brace bar being so aflixed as to be flush with a surface of the rack.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,051,060 Upthegrove Aug. 18, 1936 2,355,867 Jarvis Aug. 15, 1.944

2,623,641 Shield Dec. 30, 1952 2,762,514 McGinn Sept. 11, 1956 FOREIGN PATENTS 688,047 Great Britain Feb. 25, 195.3 

